How to keep crawfish

I've tried repeatedly to keep crayfish but I cannot seem to do so. I do remember a few summers ago I had a tank on my porch that I would throw any I caught in my trap in as bait. They seemed to last most of the summer. Now I have a real tank setup and I cannot seem to be able to sustain them. They last about 2 days then die. Any advice?

Need more info on what exactly you've been doing that is not working.  Are you using dechlorinated water?  Are they possibly getting oxygen-stressed or overheated during transport home?  Is there a cycled filter or growing plants in the tank?

I am using dechlorinated water, I'm treating and its from my personal well so the tap water is significantly cleaner than normal "city water" would be and I live in the country so that helps as well. Im sure they aren't getting overheated as I got them from a stream 5 minutes away and brought them home in a 5 gallon bucket with water from the stream. The filter is cycled and there are no plants, just a few rocks. I have no idea what oxygen stress is so you'll have to enlighten me haha. I had also heard they needed to be able to get out of the water or they will drown? not sure about it so when I made my new tank I made sure it was a low level tank with rocks they can easily crawl out on.

Sorry I meant LOW-oxygen stress (too crowded, too warm, or not enough air/water surface area).  Sounds like that was not the problem in your case.  As long as the water has enough oxygen they don't need to climb out, and will not "drown" -- they are gill-breathers.  The so-called "drowning" is simply suffocation from being held in water with too little dissolved oxygen, too much ammonia, or too much CO2.  In that case they WILL climb out of water to get more oxygen to their gills.  I dont know why they're dying so quickly.  Certain species require cool water, much like trout and sculpins.  Do you know what kind they are, and are they from streams that stay cool year-round?

Do you have someone spraying for insects around your home?  We cannot keep arthropods of any sort alive in our lab because of insecticide use.

Is there any sort of spray being used in the area? 

If not, you may be overcomplicating things. Try a very simple setup: cycled tank, rocks, airstone for oxygen, maybe some moss or something, and nothing else. 

One question that hasn't been raised is: are you acclimating the crayfish to the tank?  Make sure that you are acclimating them (just as you would a fish) so there is no "shock" when being moved from the stream water to tank water.  Water chemistry and temperature between the stream and tank may be completely different.  A quick search about acclimating fish should answer any questions about this.  I am always overly cautious and do a very long, slow acclimation for my fish/crays.

I have been acclimating them but possibly not for long enough? And as far as I know nothing is being sprayed. I think maybe I need more water flow/oxygenation? I came home and the new batch I put in were all belly up. They had been fine for around 2 days. Also it may be too crowded. 

Sorry I meant LOW-oxygen stress (too crowded, too warm, or not enough air/water surface area).  Sounds like that was not the problem in your case.  As long as the water has enough oxygen they don't need to climb out, and will not "drown" -- they are gill-breathers.  The so-called "drowning" is simply suffocation from being held in water with too little dissolved oxygen, too much ammonia, or too much CO2.  In that case they WILL climb out of water to get more oxygen to their gills.  I dont know why they're dying so quickly.  Certain species require cool water, much like trout and sculpins.  Do you know what kind they are, and are they from streams that stay cool year-round?

I do not know the species but I can get some pictures at some point tomorrow and maybe someone on here will know. 

Try using activated carbon to remove toxic metals while water aged prior to putting in tank.

Is there anything abnormal anout them when they die (hair-like strands coming off them, limbs falling off for no reason, etc)? Also it would help to know what species you have, as crays like Procambarus clarkii can almost survive in battery acid and other species can't take anything other than perfect water.

There is nothing abnormal they just seem to kind of end up on their backs with their legs/claws pointed inwards. Ive also been looking at types of crayfish and I think they may be papershell crayfish.

Here are pics. Any help Identifying will be appreciated.

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